The fiscal health of nonprofit hospitals is expected to remain stable in 2013, according to Fitch Ratings, but standalone hospitals will be especially vulnerable if deep cuts in federal reimbursement occur over the year.

A recent survey of physician offices in the U.S. found that 83.6 percent accept Medicare and 67 percent accept Medicaid, with cardiologists having one of the highest rates among specialists.

We appear to be poised on a new era for treating a variety of cardiovascular conditions with renal artery denervation, a percutaneous technique that disrupts the renal sympathetic nervous system using ablation. In this issue of Cardiovascular Business, we talk with interventional cardiologists and electrophysiologists about its potential as a treatment for drug-resistant hypertension, atrial fibrillation and heart failure. While not approved in the U.S., the technique already has been approved for refractory hypertension in parts of Europe and Australia. 

PinnacleHealth embraces new technologies to cost effectively improve care.

Rivaroxaban, which has been approved by the FDA to treat deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE) and to reduce the risk of recurrent DVT and PE following initial treatment, also appears to be resource friendly, according to two abstracts presented at the 2012 American Society of Hematology’s (ASH) annual meeting in Atlanta.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) places a heavy financial burden on the U.S. healthcare system, but cardiologists may help to chip away at these costs.

The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold most elements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ensured that major structural changes in healthcare will continue to rapidly evolve. 

Ty Cobb Regional Medical Center in Lavonia, Ga., applied a creative business model to build when others were shuttering their doors.